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Red Life
Red Life is an American animated series created by Elliot Strange. The show is a reboot of Grojband, using more or less the same characters. The show is aimed at teenagers, but has also gained a following with young adults, thanks to its humor. Production Wanting to get back into the television industry, Elliot Strange decided to produce a remake of the Canadian series Grojband. He was never satisfied with the original version, so after negotiating a deal with the original creators Mark Thornton and Todd Kauffman, he acquired the rights to the show and was thus able to make a version of his own (Thornton and Kauffman serve as creative consultants.) Strange's intention to have Trina as the lead character was fueled by him seeing the comedic potential in the character, as well as the wish to further tap into the complex nature of the character. This is another collaboration between Elliot Strange and Owen Emerson. Since season 2, 6 Point Harness produces the animation, which is then outsourced to Rough Draft Korea and sent to Disney Television Animation for review and final approval. Strange originally pitched the show to the Disney Channel, but they rejected the pilot. They moved the show to Disney XD where it currently airs. This is the first Disney animated series to be entirely producer driven, and not made exclusively by Disney. Chevelle provides the opening and closing themes of the show, having done so previously for Strange's previous show (what is) Film. New episodes aired at 5PM on Saturdays, but this was changed to 7PM on Wednesdays due to the network fearing that younger viewers might see the show. The show was ultimately moved to 8PM on Wednesdays with reruns airing on Thursday at 9PM. The pilot appeared on the main Disney Network, but was soon moved to Disney XD. The show went into hiatus mid-January due to Elliot Strange leaving to work on a movie adaptation of Fireboy and Watergirl, but left the project due to the distributor forcing him to add elements he found unnecessary in an attempt to create a more mainstream title. It culminated in Strange renewing his deal with Disney and reviving the show. Plot The premise is near-identical to the original Grojband, only difference is that the roles of Corey and Trina have been switched. It could be considered a spiritual successor to Grojband, as Trina is still getting routinely humiliated by her brother and his band. The show follows her daily life and how her temper gets her into trouble, leading to her attempting to fix it and learning a moral towards the end. Aside from constantly dealing with her brother, she is also attempting to re-invent herself and fully regain the trust of her friend Mina. The show takes place in Peaceville, a town located in the fictional state of Banstrom (which according to Elliot Strange is a mix between El Paso, Illinois (for the suburban areas) and Melbourne, Australia, his place of birth (for the city portions)) The show is rooted in dark but age-appropriate humor with coming of age elements. It has an emphasis on character development but it also includes a lot of shock humor and social commentary. Most episodes feature monologue openings from characters that play the biggest roles in each episode (particularly character driven episodes). Strange slips in vaguely morbid references in a majority of the episodes, features disturbing imagery on rare occasions among other factors. The show also features occasional throwbacks to the early 2000s, through its references and even the overall outlook. The show followed a non-linear plot line in the first season, but since the finale, the show was re-tooled slightly, which helped to distance it from Grojband. Characters Main * Trina Riffin (Christina Pucelli): The older sister of Corey. She's cynical, uppity, insecure, generally negative and suffers from severe anger issues. These attributes have been brought upon by many years of humiliation caused by her younger brother. Knowing that she'll never get anywhere in life with her attitude, she attempts to become a better person, but more often than not reverts to her old self. There're times when she gives into her hostile attitude, but she manages to stop before it gets worse. Due to constantly getting walked on by nearly everyone, Trina seems to lack mental stability, which becomes more obvious as the show progresses and even culminates in her getting committed to a mental institution. In spite of her generally cruel demeanor, she does care about her brother to some degree, shows affectionate care toward her stuffed moose Mr. Mooseface and she was once a very nice girl, but overtime, she has developed a negative outlook on the world due to her shortcomings often brought about by Corey. * Mina Beff (Abbey McBride): Trina's on and off best friend. Mina is timid, shy, brainy and socially awkward, and the only reason she ever tried to get on Trina's good side was because she believed she was popular. The two have clashed after Mina finally snapped at Trina due to years of abuse, but Trina is currently attempting to repair their friendship. Mina insists that she never hated Trina to begin with and she merely wanted to show her the error of her ways, though Trina hardly listens to this. In spite of their mixed feelings, with Mina even sharing her disfavor for the stuff Trina does most of the time, they still hang out and confide with one another whenever necessary. In fact, it's shown that both girls need each other since only they could put up with one another. It has been shown that Mina has a violent temper of her own, outmatching Trina's, but her mother has helped her keep it under control. Main Classmates * Nick Mallory (Will Friedle in his first two appearances, Greg Cipes for future episodes): Trina's original love interest. He debuted in You Know Where This is Going and also appeared in Turnaround in a psudo-antagonist role. Since then, he has regretted hurting Trina and is interested in getting into a relationship with her, though in Love Pentagon, she claims that boys have brought her nothing but trouble. * Dennis Artranis (Will Forte): Trina's classmate. He secretly has a crush on her, but her fierce temper prevented him from acting on it. Conversely, Trina has little issue with him, save for viewing him as a coward and getting put off by his interests. Trina is very appreciative of Dennis whenever he goes out of his way to do something nice for her. He has an obsession with the fictional band "The Beetlez" and the 70s, which is reflected upon by his mannerisms. * Cooper (Jon Heder): Dennis' friend. A young African American boy who serves as a voice of reason for his often uncooperative friends. He has a crush on Mina, who constantly turns him down, much to his displeasure. * Allison Walsh (Aubrey Plaza): Seline's former partner in crime. She's more expressive than any of her friends and is very silly, though she could get serious whenever it's necessary, and is highly devoted to her friends. Allison's also somewhat of a tomboy, but she felt restricted in expressing that due to the social hierarchy she was once part of. She used to be friends with Seline until Trina stole her from her as revenge for hurting Mina. It was revealed in Some Kind of Special that her behavior might be due to some kind of mental disability (hinted to be autism). It's revealed in A Lesson On Backbone that she's Canadian and was born in Calgary. * Colleen Hatch (Melissa Fahn): Another former friend of Seline. Colleen is a shy, quiet girl who rarely ever speaks. She is best identified by her pink coat and winter cap (which she wears even when it isn't winter, but removes when it is) as well as her big blue eyes. According to Seline, this was done as a compromise when her parents couldn't afford proper contact lenses. Like Allison, she used to be friends with Seline until Trina took her and Allison under her wing. Colleen is Allison's best friend and she tries to help the latter however she could. In The Incredible Sadness, she is revealed to be quite strategic, coming up with a logical solution to stopping Trina and Mina. Colleen was revealed to be an insomniac and she gives forms to her teachers which allow her to sleep whenever necessary. It's implied that Colleen is part Dutch. * Emory Conti (Amber Hood): A goth/emo girl who make multiple appearances in episodes that are set in Wayne Static High. Out of all the non-major students, she has made the most appearances thus far. Her name was revealed in Turnaround during a role call and she first spoke in Mellow Out. She also made a prominent appearance in Discount Plot, though she didn't speak at all in the episode and has even appeared in Saving Christmas: The Good Edition. She had a major role in Parental Advisory and has since been inducted into Trina's gang. She's a big fan of the fictional band Overation. * Dwight (Bumper Robinson): The school bully. His intentions and way of operating change depending on the episode. Some episodes feature him physically assaulting weaker students while others feature him merely insulting them verbally. Within the few interactions he had with Trina, they seem to have a mixed relationship. In one episode, he punches Trina in the face, breaking her jaw and nearly killing her, but in Turnaround, he seemingly helps her make it to the dance so she could be with Nick. Dwight's motives are done not to be mean, but to help build up the self-esteem of others by encouraging them to stand up for themselves. It's revealed that he tends to a garden in his spare time. * Mortimer (Brian Posehn): A typical nerd with many disturbing habits. He has yet to play a major role in any episode, being restricted to a set-piece for jokes. He has a passion for singing, and when he actually does so, he sounds robotic. He tends to freak out the other students merely by being within the same room, but he seems to be fine with it, and he's somewhat part of Trina and Dennis' circle of friends. His family appears in Love Pentagon (he has two parents, an older sister, a younger sister, an older brother and two younger twin brothers). For some reason, he seems to attract a lot of women (his mother is a model). Mortimer appears to be a rival to Kin. * Mike, Brian and Joe Fench (Andy Berman, David Hornsby and Dave Wittenberg): Snobbish triplets who constantly evoke their superiority to their classmates. They're in the same classes as Trina and Mina. Mike is the leader of the trio and has a much more collected personality, often handling any situations the brothers get into, Brian is the less intelligent of the three and he unintentionally screws up whatever plans they're doing due to his lack of common sense and Joe has a trigger happy personality and often makes outbursts even when they aren't necessary. Their names are sourced from Joe Davola, Mike Tollin and Brian Robbins, and their personalities correlate with how Strange interprets the IRL producers. Other Classmates * Darrel: A bald African American boy who sits in the front row in Miss Corbis' class. He always seems to be prepared for whatever happens in school (such as when he pulls out a silver dagger when he's paired with Lorry or when he escapes the building before it goes on lockdown in Quick Cuts. * Shayne (Cree Summer): A girl who is best identified by her goggles. It's revealed that her eyes are tiny portals that she sucks people who let her down into. * Mark (Brad Abrel): A boy who is best identified by his short haircut and his custom made long sleeve shirt. He uttered his first and only line in Parental Advisory after he was paired with Carrie. * Carrie: Sits two rows behind Trina. She is considered to be a gross girl, thanks to her picking her nose, though she seems to be very aware of this factor and is quick to share her fellow classmates' sentiments. * Penny (Olivia Hack): A girl who suffers from autism. She is loosely based on a character that appeared in a series of animated sketches on Pee-Wee's Playhouse. * Lorry: A girl who is revealed to be a lycanthrope. In episodes that take place in the school, she goes through noticeable changes (early on in the episode she has barely noticeable wolf features like a bigger nose and pointed teeth but later on she gains more wolf features). The school seems to be more than aware of her affliction and have even made her the school's mascot. She could've been the wolf that afflicted Mina in Treat-Ment. * Twitchsky: As her name implies, she's a girl who twitches constantly. She is usually a victim to the bullies in the school. * Stuart and Stewart McSteward (Jason Marsden and Roger Craig Smith): Twin brothers that are distinguished by the colors of their hair. * Clohmay Moralson (Amber Hood): A nerdy girl who serves as a prominent butt-monkey. She is frequently bullied and put down by her peers and the teachers. Strange describes the character as someone who was put into the wrong world at the wrong time, and is unable to adapt to an otherwise cynical environment. Corey and His Friends * Corey (Roger Craig Smith): Trina's younger brother, and the frontman of Grojband. He frequently steals his sister's diary and exploits her emotions in order to write hit songs. Naturally, the two siblings hate each other, though Trina is the only one who stresses this. In spite of this, Corey has shown that he does care for his sister, but his actions against her only drive them apart further. As the series progressed, the two seem to have reached a moral understanding, though they still occasionally bicker. * Laney (Linda Cardellini): One of Corey's friends and out of all of them, she seems to hate Trina the most, though not as much as others outside of Grojband (Corey's her sister, Kin is merely annoyed by her and Kon has a crush on her). Despite being openly critical of Trina, she admits that her being around is a good thing. With Trina constantly antagonizing Corey and his band, it helps make the band's bond stronger and gives them plenty of excitement. In comparison to the other characters from Grojband, her personality hasn't changed. A prevalent running gag (held over from Grojband) is that people believe she's a boy. * Kon (Travis Willingham): Another one of Corey's friends. He has attempted to court Trina, but after an unknown encounter where she humiliated him, he went on a vandalism spree which led to a 2 year house arrest. He gained a considerable amount of weight and spent his sentence making internet videos. Kon plays a major role in Konman where on what would've been his last day on house arrest, he attempts to make a relationship proposal to Trina. Trina declines the offer, which causes him to leave his house to confront her personally and triggers his ankle bracelet, lengthening his sentence. Since then, his sentence was revoked, he has lost weight (mostly) and he now hangs out regularly with Corey and the others. * Kin (Billy West): Kon's brother and a typical nerd. He's a lot more spontaneous than his other friends and he tends to annoy anyone outside of his personal circle. For a time, he relayed info Kon wanted to give to Corey and Laney when he was still under house arrest. Kin frequently clashes with Mortimer over random things, which put him at odds with Trina and her circle of friends. As far as his interactions with Trina go, she seems to be more of an annoyance to him than anything else. * Kate Persky (Jessica DiCicco): One of Grojband's groupies next to Allie Day. Out of the two, she seems to love the band more than anyone else, to the point that she puts herself at risk for the sake of getting close to the band. Her enthusiasm was welcomed by the band at first, but overtime she wore out her welcome, though no one in Grojband told her off because they didn't want to hurt her. Trina often calls her Kate "Pesky", which is a reference to DiCicco's previous role as Maggie Pesky in The Buzz on Maggie. * Allie Day (Amber Hood): Another Grojband groupie. She loves Grojband as much as Kate does, but she's a lot more collected than her. Often times, she tries to serve as a voice of reason for Kate when the latter's about to do something potentially harmful to get close to Corey. She's fairly self-aware, mostly due to an incident prior to her discovering Grojband where she unintentionally injured a rapper she was a fan of when she tried to get his autograph. Teachers * Principal Samuel Harris Ivan Trager (Michael Richards): '''The current school principal. He has been with the school all his life and has worked eery position, making him a natural leader. Despite this, he seems to lack common sense, which often puts his school in jeopardy. He is also somewhat childish, as he often plays with plastic soldiers when he's not conducting business and plays miniature golf in his spare time. It was revealed in Beyond the Third Floor that he lives in the unused higher floors. As of season 3, he seems to have become a father figure to Trina (replacing Ward) and has even been considered a main character. His appearance is modeled after Vladislav Listyev. * '''Vice Principal C. Ruben Abraham Petkov (David Hyde Pierce): The second in command at Trina's school. A Russian/British American, he's insecure, unstable and often incompetent at his job, and he tends to give ludicrous punishments to students whenever he's left in charge of the school. He provides the school announcements, most of which he makes up for his own gain. He tends to resort to extreme measures when it comes to solving issues and has practically destroyed the lives of those who accuse him of doing something ill-mannered. He was the original principal of Wayne Static High until Trager usurped the role after his senior year, and nobody challenged it because they were sick of Ruben. In spite of Ruben being put at a lower position, he still takes the role of principal for special circumstances due to Trager wanting to avoid getting questioned for taking Ruben's role forcibly. * Mr. Pritchett (Donovan Patton): Trina's math teacher. He's very incompetent at his job (rather than teaching the class, he elects to show them videos or base lessons on popular media.) As a result, he's very popular with his class and he has kept his job under request of the students. It's implied that he also bribes Principal Trager into keeping his job under the condition that his annual paycheck gets halved. It has been believed by many that Mr. Pritchett is a homosexual, but they soon realize that he's simply childish and easily excitable. He was once a prominent actor, until his career was ruined by his agent, and it has stuck with him since. * Coach Nels (Andy Dick): Trina's gym teacher. Physically weak and lacking backbone, he doesn't seem to take his job as seriously as he should. Aside from teaching gym, Nels also works as a drama teacher, but since it has been implied that gym was indefinitely cancelled it's possible that Nels is no longer a gym teacher. He's an admitted homosexual and has attempted to court Mr. Pritchett, which ultimately went nowhere. For some reason, he idolizes Miss Corbis. * Lee Corbis (Florence Henderson (Shirley Jones for later episodes)): Trina's history teacher, though in later episodes, she seems to have taken other teaching roles as well. She is often hard on Trina, thanks to a series of mishaps that befell her (unintentionally caused by Trina) and tends to be very strict. It's implied that she's even more cruel than Trina and Mina and hence, she isn't very popular with her class. It has been revealed that she lives a lonely life and she takes her frustration out on her students. Oddly enough, she is somewhat liked by the staff and most of her students, with each showing that they'd be devastated if she died. * P. Grand Connor Kennelly (Teddy Lane Jr.): Another history teacher at Wayne Static High. He had an entirely educational background, which culminated in him becoming an esteemed professor at Banstrom University before he retired (he was even honored as an emeritus). Grand took a job at Wayne Static High after the dissolution of the Black Panthers and a prior conviction driving him into debt. He is the leader of a semi-revival of the Black Panthers called the Black Pumas (which is a more toned down version of the former iteration) and as it would be suggested, he isn't too kind toward people outside of his race. However, he is also coolheaded and he tries to sedate quarrels by putting the offender through a lecture. * Jaceon Shadix (Wyatt Cenac): Serves as a proctor for school exams, and seems to have taken Nels' place as the school gym teacher. He works closely with Grand, though he is somewhat more tolerant of people within differing races. He tends to get worked up whenever the blinds on a window are open (usually during an important meeting) where he would scold whomever he thinks had the blinds open. Jaceon is also somewhat jealous of Trager's position and often tries to get Grand to take over his position, although Jaceon has nothing against Trager personally and even agrees that he has at least kept the school afloat since he was appointed as the principal. * Nurse Mitch (Kel Mitchell): The school nurse. Mitch is a retired soldier who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He encourages the kids to be themselves and do as they please, and he often acts out his war experiences with them. He hasn't had any speaking roles since Ritual. * Estus (Dave Willis): The school janitor. Estus was previously part of the mob, but was forced to go undercover after he exposed his friends to the police to avoid a life sentence. He also runs a magazine stand on the weekends whenever he's low on money. Estus is plagued by bad luck and in a majority of the episodes he's in, he is often beaten or goes through a similar form of misfortune. He's part Armenian. * Marilla (Mo Collins): The school secretary. She often handles meeting arrangements between the principals, staff and students. She is often seen watching television or playing on her computer, with an alarm set just in case anyone tries to get her attention while she's distracted. She also works as the lunch lady. * Pace: The school chef, of Columbian descent. His food is well regarded by the staff and students (although Trina and her friends hardly eat it because they could never make it to the cafeteria before his food loses its freshness), although he's seemingly mistreated by the staff, particularly Trager, who only sees him as a means of getting food. Enemies/Rivals * Trowa (Tamera Mowry): One of the more prominent school bullies. She harassed others regularly along with her former partner Kathy, which led to both becoming the most hated and students in the school. Mina is forced to deal with her after a misunderstanding and she soon learns that their vile behavior manifests into monstrous forms (they literally turn into monsters), but Trina and Mina manage to defeat Trowa and set things straight. * Josie Notnice (Lauren Tom): The second most hated student in Trina's school. She left to pursue a music career, which bombed spectacularly and drove her into a manic-depressive state. Kon was the only one who liked her and he attempted to improve her personality, which ultimately failed. * Kathy Banks (Kristen Schaal): A much older girl who formerly worked with Trowa before the latter left Trina's school. She is self-gratifying towards her body, particularly her butt, and she tends to play tricks on her friends, but she does mean well. When she was still involved with Trowa, she was very loyal to her and she ignored the advice of people who were antagonized by the former, only to finally learn from her mistake after Mina made Trowa reveal her true colors. After Trowa unintentionally insulted her mother, Kathy abandoned her and left school to live with her grandfather in Fresno. However, she makes an appearance in Don't Let the Documentary Do the Talking in a major role. * Seline (Alyson Stoner): A typical popular girl who serves as a rival to Trina and Mina. She has an obsession with befriending people of differing races, due to a mishap that happened a few years ago. She annoys Trina a lot, but the latter managed to get revenge on her in "Mellow Out" where she humiliates her and steals her friends. * Nancy Burick (Andi McAfee): The owner of the in-school news network. The network came about through her insistence alone (and it led to the school's inclusion of a daily after-school news podcast before the school's own news show.) Thanks to this, the students have to stay at school longer, and they naturally hate Nancy. She plays a major role in *beep* where she rigs the school raffle and becomes the school announcer. Nancy was ultimately done in by her own ego and the betrayal of her co-anchor and was promptly expelled from school. Other Adults * Ward Riffin (Christopher Titus (season 1-2), Wallace Langham): Trina's biological father. Ward unintentionally drove Trina's mother away when she was four, and unable to cope with the guilt, became more apathetic toward Trina, which wore on her self-esteem. Trina was taken away from Ward after an anonymous tip was given to child services, and was adopted by an unknown father along with Corey. Ward has attempted to get back within Trina's good graces, but failed since he caused Trina to become what she is today. Ward's appearance is modeled after that of Stuart Charno, who has appeared in Strange's previous series (what is) Film. He was originally voiced by Christopher Titus, but prior to the season 2 finale, Strange called out Titus on Twitter over the later's constant focus on political issues (both contrast on their political views) and Titus was fired. Ward's last appearance was a brief cameo in What a Way to End the Year (this time voiced by Wallace Langham). Corey claims that Ward fled to Canada following the inauguration of Donald Trump. * Superintendent Sigon (Keone Young): The superintendent of Wayne Static High. He was first mentioned in later season one episodes when he talked to Principal Trager over the phone, and he later had his first major role in Quick Cuts where he oversees the school's fundraising seminar. He seems to take orders from a celestial chicken. * Mickey McDouglaston Chesterfield (Toby Huss): The elderly owner of A&M's. Contrary to what most would believe, he isn't a typical business tycoon, but rather someone who enjoys making consumers happy by whatever means, starkly contrasting to his younger stepbrother. * Alvin McDouglaston Chesterfield (Jim Wise (Eric Edelstein for his first appearance)): Mickey's accountant and a more strategic thinker when it comes to conducting business. He's a no-tolerance worker who would rather risk his life if it meant settling a business-related affair. * Rajae (Ajgie Kirkland): A cab driver the gang tends to encounter every now and again. He is a big fan of The Eagles and whenever anyone asks him to change the station when one of their songs are on, he kicks them out. He has appeared in Elliot Strange's other programs and maintains the same characterization in each. Additionally, he's based on a character Kirkland played in The Big Lebowski. * Earl (Brian Cummings): A customer who makes appearances whenever A&M's is featured. His first speaking role is See Me As I Work where he scolds Trina over a mistake with his order, and again in Don't Let the Documentary Do the Talking where Kathy takes food from his plate. It's implied that he has an obsession with Dane Cook. His name is never mentioned in the episodes, but his name is listed in the credits as Earl. Places * Trina's House: Located on Seldar Court. It's a simple suburban home, but since Smart?, the house has become a lot bigger. It includes a garage and shed, which are both connected to the house. The house as a media room, a living room, a kitchen, a dining room and a backyard. Corey and Trina have big rooms, which help when they have company over. Trina's room specifically has a big waterbed that's close to the window, a walk-in closet and a bathroom. * Wayne Static High: The school Trina and her friends attend. The school has ten floors, but only the first three were ever used. Because of this, various urban legends plague the school, which the staff uses in order to get more students to join. It was revealed that the school was only seven floors high, but when Trager became in charge of the school, he converted the lower levels into new floors and blocked off access to the original seven (he lives on the top floor). Trina and her friends eat lunch on the roof (with stairway access being available on the third floor). Only eight staff members consistently work there (others often depart by the end of the month) The school is structurally sound and is conveniently located at the end of the neighborhood. It has a statue of Wayne Static in the front, a fountain, a flagpole, a big schoolyard with a playground (that includes a jungle gym that's rumored to cross over into other universes) and a landscaped front yard. According to Principal Trager, the school was originally called Alexander Hamilton High, but it was changed out of respect for the lead singer of Trager's favorite band. * Vapor Burger: A local burger joint. It originally appeared in the first half of season one, with a prominent appearance in Turnaround where Trina and Mina get to choose from the secret menu. Near the end of season one, it was replaced by A&M's. In Smart?, Trina implies that this restaurant was shut down by the Board of Health. * A&M's: A restaurant/gas station/convenience store that's loosely based on Sheetz. It's especially popular in the neighborhood thanks to the owners connecting with their clientele through social media.Trina briefly worked there as a cashier and later a fry cook before getting promoted to manager, but she eventually quit due to her making back the money she owed Estus. Reception Critics Common Sense Media gave the shoe 2.5 out of 5 stars, stating "It's serviceable for its intended audience, but there're far too many times when it goes too far." Critics have praised the writing and humor, pointing out that it has a sense of sophistication and subtlety that could attract anyone of any age. Fans When news of the new series came out, fans were skeptical and outright panned the show, believing that it undermined the original and that it wouldn't succeed. They didn't believe it would be a terrible series, but rather one that doesn't work as well as the original. When the show premiered, the fans became more open to it, praising the animation and the writers' attempts at keeping the former show's humor. Since the show's second season, the fans praised the show and considered it to be a worthy follow-up to the original show. Category:Red Life